About Us:

As disciples of Jesus Christ our Lord, we agree to follow him in reverent obedience. We shall love one another, pray for each other, share in one another's joys and support each other in sorrow. Acknowledging that each has received spiritual gifts from God, we shall seek to serve one another accordingly. We shall strive to be responsible members of this church in meeting together, studying the Scriptures, giving, submitting to the leadership, sharing the good news of Christ with others, and giving and praying for missionaries at home and abroad. We shall make every effort to maintain the unity of the body. We accept responsibility to correct one another, and to submit to correction. Remembering that God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble, we shall do nothing out of ambition or conceit, but shall seek always to consider others' needs. In our daily living we shall seek to so yield to the Spirit that his presence will be manifest in our lives.

Bound together in a fellowship of faith with all who confess Jesus Christ as Lord, we shall pray and labor for a spirit of unity among all Christians. Believing that our call to be a church is a call to witness to the world, we commit ourselves to the proclamation of the gospel and to the support of our co-laborers everywhere.

Admitting our weaknesses, we recognize that the Christian life is a life of repentance. We confess our need for the Scriptures, for the Holy Spirit, for the encouragement and help of the church family. We commit our lives, our families and our church to Jesus Christ and to the care and mercy of Almighty God.

History:

Its beginning was in 1856 when several people who attended the Freewill Baptist church at Oneonta Plains were granted a dismissal for the purpose of establishing a second church. On February 25, 1856, an organizational meeting was held; the council consisted of three ministers and two laymen. Sixteen persons become charter members, and the church was given the name Second Freewill Baptist Church of Oneonta. In April 1856, Rev. Orange T. Moulton was called to be the first pastor of the church. The first services were held at the Emmons schoolhouse since several of the early members lived in Emmons. Later that same year, the time came to select a site for erecting a church building. The site chosen was the present location - the corner of Main and Maple Streets. A wooden structure was erected in 1857, and it was replaced in 1889 with the present brick edifice. 

In 1892, the Freewill Baptists changed their names to Free Baptist. The new name encompassed more of their beliefs, whereas the old name had revealed only one principle of faith. The church, in turn, became known as the Free Baptist Church of Oneonta. Another name change resulted from the overal organization of Free Baptists unifying with other Baptists. The church decided the Free Baptist Church of Oneonta should merge with the regular Baptist churches. This action was adopted in December of 1919 and the church became known as the Main Street Baptist Church.

For some time the church was affiliated with the American Baptist Convention; but, in 1951, it voted to discontinue that relationship. In 1962, the church applied for membership to the Conservative Baptist Association and the New New York State Conservative Baptist Association. This affiliation has, to this day, continued to grow and strenghten. Main Street Baptist Church also belongs to the National Association of Evangelicals - fostering the church's committment to reach out to others for Christ.